Elder Care Cafe

In part 1 regarding whether someone can reverse or prevent type 2 diabetes, I mentioned a family member who was diagnosed with prediabetes, and how her weight loss and increase in exercise has placed her back into normal blood sugar range. We discussed what roll eating the right food plays in preventing or reversing type 2 diabetes plays, and now we are going to touch on the roll exercise plays.

Exercise plays an important role in reversing or preventing type 2 diabetes.

Some consider exercise the number one thing you can do to prevent diabetes. Not only will you lose weight and build much needed muscle, your body will be able to better manage your blood sugar levels. A few tips to consider:

Start slowly. If you have not exercised in a while, do not try to run a marathon first thing. Begin with just a few  minutes a day of light exercise. You can increase the time and difficulty of the exercise a little each day until you reach your exercise goal.

Consider spreading your excercise routine throughout the day. Some believe that dividing your exericse into portions throughout the day helps regulate your blood sugar and will help keep you from giving up. If you walk in the morning, consider stretches or lifting light weights or using stretchy bands at other times during the day.

Know your limitations. If you try to do too much too soon you could cause major problems with your health. Take your time building your exercise routine. Do not try to lift weights that are too heavy for you or jump into an aerobics class that is beyond your ability.

You will less likely quit because you think exercise is too difficult if you spread the workouts out. As you lose weight and begin to feel better because of the exercise, you will be motivated to keep going.

Keep records for motivation and encouragement.

Some people find it helpful to keep a record of what they eat, while others concentrate on their exercise regimen by keeping track of how much weight they lift or how far they walk. One of the best motivational tools for reversing type 2 diabetes is watching that weight drop.

Whether you keep a graph on the wall or in a notebook, use paperclips to follow your weight loss, or periodically note your shrinking measurements, visually seeing the results is the best motivator of all.

 Ultimately, having that all important blood sugar test show you have successfully reversed or prevented type diabetes is the best news you and your loved ones can receive!

If you want to read part one of this mini-series, you can click on the link to read about the role your diet plays  in reversing diabetes.